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Nov. 21, 2009
St. Thomas at
Monmouth Monmouth, Ill. (NCAA Playoffs)
St. Thomas 43, Monmouth 21 (10-1)
One of the best football seasons in
Fighting Scots history came grinding to a halt as the visiting Tommies,
ranked No. 10 in the nation, delivered key plays on special teams, used
a punishing ground game to control the clock and posted a second-half
shutout, the first time that Monmouth had been blanked in a half all
season. Two special teams plays, in particular, helped the Tommies stay
in control of the game after the Scots had grabbed an early 7-0 lead.
The first came at the 9:37 mark of the second quarter. The Tommies
blocked Shane Reschke's punt and Tyler Erstad scooped up the loose
pigskin in stride, taking it 22 yards for a touchdown to make the score
20-7. The Scots answered quickly on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Alex
Tanney to Mike Blodgett, but the Tommies grabbed the momentum right back
when Fritz Waldvogel returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards to set St.
Thomas up at the Monmouth 21. Four plays later, Ben Wartman's 5-yard TD
run made the score 27-14. Wartman was hard to bring down all game,
winding up with 177 yards on 29 carries. Colin Tobin added 86 more on 10
tries as the Tommies outgained the Scots 320-30 on the ground. In
addition to the two big special teams plays, St. Thomas also got three
season-long field goals from kicker Brady Beeson. His previous best was
31 yards, but Beeson booted scoring kicks of 37, 41 and 42 yards,
helping St. Thomas score on eight of nine possessions during one
extended stretch. Monmouth, meanwhile, would not score again after a
28-yard TD reception by Steve Zidow made the score 27-21 with 5:50 left
in the first half. In the fourth quarter, the Scots were stopped on
downs twice inside the red zone. Tanney finished the day 35-of-51 for
361 yards and two scores. Zidow was his top target, catching nine passes
for 112 yards. Matt Shepherd finished with 58 yards to become the first
Monmouth receiver to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a season. Tanney
also eclipsed the 10,000-yard career passing milestone and will enter
next season with 10,158 passing yards. Monmouth's defense was led by two
members of its secondary, Luke Reschke and Sean Wells, who each made 15
tackles.
St. Thomas held a
38:21 to 21:39 edge in time of possession and kept the Scots’ high tempo
offense to just 75 plays, 12 below their season average.
Nov. 7, 2009
Monmouth at Knox, Galesburg, Ill.
Monmouth 42 (10-0, 9-0), Knox 0
Not
even a scoreless quarter -- the first one in the first half for the
Fighting Scots all season -- could keep them from their third undefeated
regular season in the past five years and their 11th straight Bronze
Turkey Game triumph. Monmouth took just four plays to score on its
opening possession, covering the final 19 yards on a TD pass from Alex
Tanney to Mike Blodgett. But then something very unexpected happened --
the Scots stopped scoring. They reached the red zone six more times in
the first half but came up empty on all of them, including a fumble on a
first-and-goal play from the Knox 1. When a final drive ran out of time
at the Knox 9, the halftime score was a shocking 7-0. But Monmouth,
which entered the game ranked No. 8 in the nation, restored order
against the Midwest Conference's last-place team, producing touchdowns
on its first five possessions in the second half. Tanney wound up
with six touchdown passes, equaling his school record, including three
to Matt Shepherd and two to Blodgett. Shepherd caught 14 passes for 141
yards, and Tanney finished the day 36-for-50 for a school-record
451 yards as Monmouth gained 698 yards, also a school record. Three
receivers topped the 100-yard mark, including Nick Wright, who
accumulated 139 yards. Clay Bricker added 122 rushing yards and Caleb
Pratt had 94. The Prairie Fire moved the ball at times, totaling 199
yards, but never got inside the Scots' 30. The win was coach Steve
Bell's 78th at Monmouth, equaling the all-time school record set by Bill
Reichow.
Oct. 31, 2009
Illinois College at Monmouth, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 44 (9-0, 8-0), Illinois College 17
Monmouth quarterback Alex Tanney threw for a school-record 437
yards as the Fighting Scots clinched no worse than a tie for the Midwest
Conference title in a 44-17 win over Illinois College. The Blue Boys
drew first blood when Mitch Brasher's 25-yard field goal capped a nearly
seven minute drive on the game's first possession. Monmouth didn't waste
any time answering as Matt Shepherd ripped off a 31 yard
catch-and-run on the Scots first play and Clay Bricker ran in
five yards for a score to cap the five play, 60 yard drive. Starting at
their own 25-yard line with a14-10 and five minutes left in the half,
Shepherd scampered for 55 of his season-high 191 yards to take the Scots
to the IC 20. Three plays later, Caleb Pratt scored from two
yards out to give the Scots a 20-10 halftime lead. The Scots stretched
the advantage to 27-10 on their first possession of the second half when
Bricker scored his second TD of the game. The Blue Boys' D.J. Jackson
then ran the ensuing kickoff back 89 yards, but the Scots defense shut
the Blue Boys down the rest of the way as the offense posted three more
scores. Marcus Ruff's 10 tackles led the team in stops for the
third straight game.
Oct. 24, 2009
Monmouth at Lake Forest, Lake Forest, Ill.
Monmouth 51 (8-0, 7-0), Lake Forest 14
Nick Wright and Kramer Matzen caught two touchdown passes
each and the Monmouth College offense rolled up 613 yards - second only
to the 679 yards the 1972 team racked up against Carleton - in a 51-14
win over Lake Forest. Wright's 41 yard grab of an Alex Tanney
pass capped a three-play, 30 second drive in the game's first two
minutes. Tanney hit Wright again on the Scots' next possession and the
rout was on. Tanney tied his own single game TD pass record with six TD
tosses and 404 yards. Clay Bricker picked up seven of his
game-high 148 rushing yards on the Scots' last score of the first half
to give Monmouth a 35-0 halftime lead. Junior wide out Mike Blodgett
hauled in 10 passes for 131 yards to break Evan Haffner's career
reception record. With more than a season to go, Blodgett has been on
the receiving end of 153 passes. Anthony Goranson recorded three
sacks and Marcus Ruff followed his 16 tackle performance at Ripon
with 11 stops as the Scots held the Foresters to less than 100 yards
rushing. Monmouth scored on five of their first six possessions, but the
defense got in on the fun when Goranson's tackle in the end zone midway
through the third quarter resulted in a safety.
Oct. 17, 2009
Monmouth at Ripon, Ripon, Wis.
Monmouth 35 (7-0, 6-0), Ripon 13
The Fighting Scots were held to their lowest point total of the season
and under 500 yards of offense for only the second time this year, but
posted a 35-13 win over Ripon to take sole possession of first place in
the Midwest Conference. The Red Hawks won the Time of Possession war by
more than 15 minutes, but the Scots turned a Marcus Ruff fumble
recovery at Ripon's 16-yard line into a two play, 30 second scoring
drive when Alex Tanney hit Mike Blodgett for the score
with 12:54 left in the first quarter. Kyle Tuor immediately
replaced kicking coach Nate Palkovic in the record books on the
point after. Tuor broke Palkovic's consectuve PAT string of 38 straight
by nailing all five of his attempts to give him 43 straight. Nick
Wright hauled in a Tanney toss for a TD four minutes later to give
the Scots a 14-0 lead. Monmouth led 28-13 at the half and was held
scoreless in the third quarter for the first time this year. Matt
Shepherd caught his second TD pass of the day at the outset of the
fourth period to break the scoring drought for the final margin of
victory. Tanney threw for 317 yards and four TDs, but it was the defense
that put up big individual numbers. Linebackers Marcus Ruff and
Adam Hoste recorded 16 tackles each and Matt Morman added
15 stops.
Oct. 10, 2009
St. Norbert at Monmouth, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 52 (6-0, 5-0), St. Norbert 24
Alex Tanney and the Monmouth offense fought off a shaky start and
rolled to a 52-24 win over St. Norbert to stay unbeaten on the season.
The Green Knights intercepted Tanney's first pass of the day, but that
was their highlight as the junior quarterback threw for five touchdowns
and broke two of Rob Purlee's career marks. Tanney's 7,924 total
offensive yards surpassed Purlee's mark of 7,732 set from 2000-03 and
his 361 yards passing upped his career total to 8,188, surpassing
Purlee's 8,017. For good measure, Tanney scored his first career rushing
TD on a one yard keeper in the third quarter to make it 45-17. Matt
Shepherd was Tanney's favorite target on this day, hauling in 11
catches for 99 yards. Shepherd also returned five kicks for 128 yards to
give him 1,355 for his career, breaking Nathan Gaskill's record
of 1,267. Mike Blodgett made eight grabs for a team-high 125
yards and Clay Bricker rumbled for 114 yards on the ground. Sean
Wells led the defensive unit with 11 tackles. Monmouth rolled up 533
yards while surrendering 408.
Oct. 3, 2009
Grinnell at Monmouth, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 59 (5-0, 4-0), Grinnell 0
The Fighting Scots scored every time they touched the ball in the first
quarter of a 59-0 win over Grinnell. Monmouth put a school-record 42
points on the board in the first quarter, including a 37-yard
interception return by Luke Reschke as the Scots improved to 5-0
on the season. Caleb Pratt led the ground offense with three TDs
- two in the first half - and 140 yards rushing. Alex Tanney
completed 21-of-29 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns while
Monmouth racked up their fourth consecutive 500-plus yard game. Freshman
kicker Matt Batton's school-record 51-yard field goal inthe
fourth quarter put an exclamation point on the win. Monmouth's defense
yielded just 31 yards rushing and 159 yards total as Adam Hoste
made a team-high nine tackles and Anthony Goranson recorded a
pair of sacks. Monmouth's defense tallied four sacks and five
interceptions on the afternoon.
Sept. 26, 2009
Monmouth at Carroll, Waukesha, Wis.
Monmouth 41 (4-0, 3-0), Carroll 3
Monmouth's defense was tough against the run once again, allowing
Carroll just 54 yards on the ground in a 41-3 win in Wisconsin. The
Scots rolled up their third straight 500-plus yard game as Alex
Tanney threw for 323 yards and three TDs, surpassing Rob Purlee
for most 200-plus yard passing games. Tanney's 15th consecutive game
with more than 200 yards gives him 23 for his career. Clay Bricker
collected his second straight multiple TD game, scoring twice and
grinding out 104 yards on just 15 carries. Monmouth turned two Carroll
fumbles into touchdowns in the first quarter. The first came from
Matt Shepherd who took a Tanney pass 10 yards for the Scots' first
score at the 8:56 mark. Adam Hoste recovered a Pioneers' fumble
on the ensuing possession at the Pioneers' 25 yard line to set up
Bricker's first TD. A 31-yard Carroll field goal, paired with Kyle
Tuor's first of two field goals, a 23-yarder, and Bricker's second
TD made the halftime score 24-3. Tanney's last two TD passes in the
second half, a 20-yarder to Nick Wright and a one-yard throw to
Mike Ridgway, gave the Scots a comfortable lead with a 14:55
remaining.
Sept. 19, 2009
Beloit at Monmouth, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 58 (3-0, 2-0), Beloit 0
It took Monmouth quarterback Alex Tanney less than three minutes
to set another Fighting Scots' record in a 58-0 blowout of Beloit. The
junior QB hit Mike Blodgett with a five yard scoring strike to set
the Scots' career TD pass record. The score came after Caleb Pratt's
60 yard run moved the Scots to the Beloit 23 on Monmouth's first
possession. Tanney also connected with Kyle Wantland for two more
scores to set the new TD pass standard at 86, surpassing Rob Purlee's
mark of 83 set from 2000-03. A balanced offense produced 245 yards
rushing and 298 yard passing while the Monmouth defense kept Beloit out
of the end zone, recovering a Bucs fumble at the Monmouth six yard line
on Beloit's opening drive. Clay Bricker added three TDs,
including a 41 yard run just before the half to post Monmouth to a 45-0
lead. Tanney was 27-of-36 for 282 yards while Blodgett grabbed 11 passes
for 101 yards. Pratt let the ground game with 199 yards and Bricker
added 91. Monmouth's defense held Beloit to just 55 yards rushing as 26
different Scots recorded tackles.
Sept. 12, 2009
Monmouth at Lawrence, Appleton, Wis.
Monmouth 56 (2-0, 1-0), Lawrence 3
The Scots' offense picked up where it left off last week in a 56-3 win
over Lawrence...and the defense wasn't bad either, allowing only a
second-half field goal while holding the Vikings to 85 yards of offense.
Alex Tanney threw for 321 yards and five TDs tying Rob Purlee's
record of 83 touchdown passes set from 2000-03. Kyle Wantland
hauled in three TD receptions - two from Tanney and one from
quarterback-turned-wide receiver Steve Zidow who was on the
receiving end of a Tanney TD toss just before halftime to cap a 35-point
second quarter - tying the school record for points in a quarter - to give the Scots
a 49-0 lead at intermission. The Scots defense took advantage of Viking
miscues, recovering all four Lawrence fumbles and picking off four
passes. Monmouth's six TD passes tied the school record for scoring
passes in a single game.
Sept. 5, 2009
Loras at Monmouth, Monmouth, Ill.
Monmouth 39 (1-0), Loras 20
Monmouth's no-huddle offense didn't waste any time in a 39-20 win over
Loras in the season opener for both teams. The Scots took the opening
kickoff 67 yards and capped the drive with a Kyle Tuor 20 yard
field goal. After the Duhawks forced the Scots to punt on the next two
possessions, Monmouth's quick-score offense got the ball on a short
field and scored 2:55 later when Clay Bricker scooted into the
end zone from 2 yards out. Kyle Wantland hauled in an Alex
Tanney pass for a TD to begin the second quarter and Tuor added
another field goal for a 19-0 lead before the Duhawks scored on a 1 yard
run with 5:03 left in the first half. The Scots' Nick Wright
hauled in two TD receptions in the second half as the Scots opened the
season with a win over Loras for the second straight year. Tanney
finished the game with 341 passing yards and four TDs. Marcus Ruff
led the defense with 10 tackles. |
